The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for combining pre-personalized items (such as third class publications) with items not pre-personalized (such as second class publications) to produce a plurality of zip code bundles.
Many processes are performed in conjunction with the finishing and distribution of publications or books such as catalogs and magazines after they have been printed. These are referred to as post-press or in-line processes. Typical in-line processes include assembly of signatures; binding; trimming; insertion of additional materials; personalization, including ink jetting of addresses and other information; and bundling.
Catalogs and magazines are typically mailed to their recipients via the postal service. Postal service rates are dependent on various factors. One factor is the type of publication, based on content, that is being mailed. For example, second class publications are defined as printed matter including editorial content, while third class publications are those including only advertising material, such as catalogs and promotional flyers.
Postal rate discounts can be obtained for bundles of publications wherein each publication in the bundle is addressed to the same zip code, or to a specific mail route within a zip code. One way to achieve the proper assembly of zip code bundles of a single publication is to produce the books in zip code order, label appropriate ones of the books with a mark indicative of the end of the bundle (based on data from a mailing list), and convey the books past a detector which indicates to a bundling machine when the mark occurs. However, it is also desirable to combine publications having different titles into a single mail stream and produce zip code bundles from that stream in order to produce bundles containing a sufficiently large number of publications to take optimal advantage of mailing discounts.
Currently, various multi-mailer systems are known which operate to combine different titles of previously bound publications into a single mail stream. The different publications are selectively fed according to a master mailing list produced by combining the mailing lists of the individual publications. These systems are currently used for co-mailing publications that are not pre-personalized.
For third class publications such as catalogs, it is especially advantageous to personalize the catalog to include the intended recipient""s name and perhaps customer number on the inside of the catalog, for example, on an order form. Current postal regulations require that an accurate count of third class publications be made to determine the applicable postal fee.
It is an object of the present invention to produce zip code bundles from a plurality of book groupings which include both books which have been pre-personalized and produced in zip code order and books which have not been pre-personalized.
In one aspect, the invention provides a method for combining, in zip code order, pre-personalized printed items with printed items that are not pre-personalized. The method includes the step of producing a grouping of pre-personalized printed items in a first prearranged order according to a first mailing list. The first mailing list is combined with a second mailing list associated with the printed items that are not pre-personalized to produce a master mailing list of a desired zip code order. The pre-personalized printed items from the grouping of pre-personalized printed items and the printed items that are not pre-personalized are selectively fed in the desired zip code order. The printed items that are not pre-personalized are addressed, zip code bundles are prepared according to the master mailing list.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method for combining in zip code order pre-addressed printed items with items that are not pre-addressed. The method includes the step of producing a grouping of the pre-addressed items in zip code order according to a first mailing list. The first mailing list is merged with a second mailing list associated with the items that are not pre-addressed to produce a master mailing list of a desired zip code order. The pre-addressed items and the items that are not pre-addressed are selectively fed to a conveyor according to the master mailing list. The items that are not pre-addressed are addressed and the zip code bundles are prepared according to the master mailing list.